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Chelmsford teen taking woodwind world tour

By Grant Welker, gwelker@lowellsun.com

Updated:
03/15/2013 04:23:42 PM EDT

CHELMSFORD -- Elizabeth Sperry began playing flute as a musical hobby when she was 9 years old. In just seven years, she has mastered the instrument to the point where she will take her talents around the world with a youth symphony this summer.

Sperry, a Chelmsford High School junior, was chosen as one of 120 teens across the country for the first National Youth Orchestra, a program created by Carnegie Hall in New York. She will train for two weeks in New York before touring at the Kennedy Center in Washington, then heading overseas to play in Moscow, St. Petersburg and London.

Sperry, 16, has already accomplished a lot, playing with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra and receiving the symphony -oncerto competition's top honor this year, earning her a solo performance at Jordan Hall in Boston next month.

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She also had the highest audition score in the state for the 2012 Massachusetts All-State Music Festival. But she was still surprised to get picked for the national orchestra.

It's been a fast rise for the Longview Drive resident, playing first for the Nashoba Youth Orchestra in sixth and seventh grade, then with the Boston Youth Symphony starting in eighth grade.

She started playing piano at age 7 but said her fingers weren't long enough to hit all the notes. She switched to the flute but said it's not exactly like it came naturally to her.

"I don't think it comes naturally, per se, to just start playing like a professional," she said. "But the more you love it, the more the practice isn't so grueling."

But she certainly does practice -- a lot. Every day, for an hour and a half to two hours, usually. If she's auditioning for something, she'll focus on just a few pieces, or otherwise try branching out. She's currently trying a beatbox style, with quick, short bursts of sound.

Sperry also plays in Chelmsford High School's concert band and concert choir, and the Boston Flute Academy. She's also assisted a teacher for the Chelmsford schools' summer flute camp and wind ensemble, and performed in Chelmsford school concerts at the high school and middle schools.

With the National Youth Orchestra, Sperry will be one of six members from Massachusetts and one of only five flutists from across the country. The orchestra will begin a two-week practice session at Purchase College in New York in late June, playing with some of the best professional orchestra musicians.

Her mother, Michele Sperry, who Elizabeth said inspired her to play an instrument, played piano to accompany her daughter's performances when Elizabeth was younger.

"She plays too well," Michele said with a laugh. "I don't play well enough to keep up with her, is really the truth."

Christina Whittlesey, the fine arts coordinator for Chelmsford schools, has watched Sperry's growth as a flutist since middle school. She has a positive attitude, acts as a model for her peers, and is always willing to help another student with a question, she said.

"She plays at an extremely high level," Whittlesey said. "What I'm always impressed about with Elizabeth is she doesn't have a big head about it. She's so gracious and humble and consistently generous with other students, helping them with their musical needs."

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